Politics

2023: Osinbajo, Fayemi Can’t Stand Against Tinubu – Sen Abu Ibrahim

Published

4 years ago

March 13, 2022

Sen Abu Ibrahim

No aspirant from the South can stand against the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the contest for the presidency ahead of 2023, a chieftain of the ruling party, Senator Abu Ibrahim, has said.

Senator Ibrahim, who is a close confidant of both President Muhammadu Buhari and the Asiwaju, told Daily Trust on Sunday in an exclusive interview that all those being taunted for the presidency in the South-West were protégés of the former Lagos governor and would not compete against him.

Narrating how he linked Buhari with Tinubu in 2010, the Katsina-born politician, who had been in the Senate for many years before he quit, said the alleged plan by some northern governors to retain power in the North would not scale through.

Asked if the reported presidential ambitions of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State would not affect the chances of Tinubu, Ibrahim said, “It is normal, but the issue is: Can they stand Tinubu in the South-West? They can see what is coming up. I don’t want to start discussing this issue; it is a different topic.

“Fayemi, for example, knows very well that he is Tinubu’s boy. He was living in Ghana when Tinubu brought him. I once slept in his house in Accra.

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“Tinubu brought Fayemi back to Nigeria. Above other leading contenders, he picked him to be the governor of Ekiti State. When we met at Bourdillon (Tinubu’s residence), he told me to thank my friend for him. He said Asiwaju even mobilised fund for him after nominating him to be governor.

“He won the election, but in the second tenure, he failed to even win his ward, and he was made a minister. When he wanted to go for this present tenure, I went to the president and I said Fayemi may not be able to win without Tinubu, so he called Asiwaju and gave him the responsibility to deliver Ekiti for him.”

And on Osinbajo, he said, “The vice president was his commissioner for justice. He never lobbied for the office; he just picked and gave him that position. I have discussed with the vice president many times. I went to his house and office and we discussed the party and everything, including his relationship with Asiwaju. I know how he felt or how he feels about their relationship. He respects Tinubu so much that I feel he may not be able to contest against him.”

Senator Ibrahim also said the leadership of the APC was not using internal mechanisms to make the party stronger, hence the ravaging crises threatening its existence.

Asked whether the president would support Tinubu to actualise his dream of becoming president, Ibrahim, who said President Buhari was his house captain at secondary school in Katsina State, said he had no doubt on that because the former Lagos governor was instrumental to the emergence of Buhari in 2015 when he brought South-West votes to add to Buhari’s 12million in the North that culminated in victory after many trials.

“If we don’t support Tinubu, North-West politicians will suffer in the future as nobody will trust us again. So we have to make sure that this understanding is for our future politics,” he said.

DAILY TRUST

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Aiyedatiwa Sacks All Political Aides, Plans 1,000 New Appointments

Published

4 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Trends Admin

Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa

Aiyedatiwa Sacks All Political Aides, Plans 1,000 New Appointments

Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has terminated the appointments of all his political aides, including Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs), in a bold move aimed at enhancing governance efficiency and deepening service delivery. The decision was announced in Akure by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, on Monday.

According to the statement, the sack affects all political appointees serving under the governor, who was elected in 2025. The governor thanked the outgoing aides for their service and wished them well in their future endeavours. The mass disengagement comes amid a broader effort to strengthen administration at the grassroots level, ahead of the 2027 elections.

To replace the dismissed aides, Governor Aiyedatiwa announced plans to appoint about 1,000 new political aides drawn from all 203 wards across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State. These new aides are expected to serve as community liaisons, administrative support officers, and coordination aides, improving citizen engagement and service delivery throughout the state.

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Resignations Ahead of APC Primaries

In line with INEC regulations for electoral participation, several political appointees have submitted resignation letters to pursue elective offices in the 2027 general elections. These include:

Hon. Gbenga Omole, Special Adviser on Transport
Hon. Fadairo Oluwafemi, SSA on Community Engagement (Central)
Dr. Olusegun Victor Ategbole, Chairman, Ondo State Hospital Management Board
Engr. Razaq Obe, Director General, Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU)
Hon. Adeola Fynch, Secretary, Akure South Local Government, effective March 20, 2026

Notably, Hon. Adeola Fynch resigned to contest for the Akure South Constituency 1 seat in the State House of Assembly under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform. Resignations were formally tendered through the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti.

Implications for Governance

Observers say the shake-up reflects Aiyedatiwa’s intent to broaden representation, strengthen local governance, and inject fresh capacity into the state administration. By recruiting aides from every ward, the governor aims to enhance grassroots engagement and ensure efficient delivery of public services.

Analysts, however, caution that integrating a large number of new aides may require significant orientation and coordination to maintain continuity in governance and policy implementation.

This sweeping restructuring highlights the government’s focus on accountability, community involvement, and electoral compliance, positioning Ondo State for stronger administrative performance in the lead-up to the 2027 elections.

Aiyedatiwa Sacks All Political Aides, Plans 1,000 New Appointments

Politics

Court Sacks Turaki-Led PDP Executives, Orders Security to Back Wike Camp

Published

6 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Trends Admin

Court Sacks Turaki-Led PDP Executives, Orders Security to Back Wike Camp

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened significantly after a Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a decisive judgment that reshapes the party’s leadership battle.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik barred the Kabiru Turaki-led faction from accessing the PDP national secretariat and declared the party’s controversial Ibadan convention null and void.

The court held that the convention, conducted in Ibadan between November 15 and 16, 2025, violated existing court orders and contravened the provisions of both the PDP constitution and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

According to the judgment, the convention breached Section 287(3) of the Constitution, which mandates strict compliance with judicial decisions. Justice Abdulmalik emphasised that no political group or institution is above the law, declaring that all resolutions, leadership appointments, and decisions reached at the gathering are “null and void.”

The court further directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise any outcomes from the invalidated convention. This effectively strips the Turaki-led executives of any legal authority within the PDP.

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In a related directive, the court ordered security agencies—including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services—to ensure that the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has unhindered access to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The suit was filed on November 21, 2025, by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu, who identified themselves as interim national chairman and secretary of the party. Backed by Wike’s camp, they challenged the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention and sought to stop the Turaki faction from acting on behalf of the PDP.

Delivering her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik also invalidated disciplinary actions taken during the convention, including the suspension and expulsion of party members loyal to the plaintiffs. She described those moves as unlawful and carried out in defiance of subsisting court orders.

The court stressed that political parties must operate within their constitutions and obey judicial rulings, warning that any attempt to undermine the rule of law threatens democratic stability.

With this judgment, the Wike-aligned faction appears to have gained a significant legal advantage in the ongoing PDP leadership crisis, although the Turaki camp may still challenge the decision at the appellate courts.

The ruling is expected to have far-reaching implications for the opposition party as it navigates internal divisions ahead of future political contests.

Court Sacks Turaki-Led PDP Executives, Orders Security to Back Wike Camp

Politics

Wike Mocks Peter Obi, Says He ‘Ran Away’ From Labour Party Crisis

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2026

Trends Admin

Former Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate Peter Obi and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike

Wike Mocks Peter Obi, Says He ‘Ran Away’ From Labour Party Crisis

Abuja, Nigeria — Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has sharply criticised former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, accusing him of lacking leadership courage and commitment to manage internal party crises. Wike’s remarks came during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2026 National Convention held at Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

Addressing delegates, Wike drew a parallel between Obi’s defection from the Labour Party and the recent departure of some PDP governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Leadership is not an easy task. Leadership requires courage. Leadership requires firmness. Leadership requires commitment,” Wike said. “When crisis came in the Labour Party, it was time it was required for him to show leadership. He ran away because he could not solve problems.”

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Wike criticised both Obi and the defecting PDP governors, claiming they had shown a fundamental absence of the qualities required to lead during challenging political moments.

“The presidential candidate of the Labour Party was given a platform to pursue his ambition. But when challenges arose, he abandoned it. The same thing applies to some governors who ran away when crises emerged,” he added.

Obi’s Political Realignment

Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential election behind President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, officially left the Labour Party in 2025 and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Since then, he has become a key figure in a growing opposition coalition that includes Atiku, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, all positioning to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Wike’s comments highlight the intensifying political rivalry within Nigeria’s opposition and reflect ongoing debates about leadership, loyalty, and party realignment as the country prepares for its next election cycle.